Although Seagate does offer a 20.4GB version of this drive, the one we received was the next step up, at 30.6GB. Not that it makes a great deal of difference, since most of the characteristics of the drives are the same.

Rotational platter speed is 7,200rpm, which is higher than the other drives in this group test, and goes some way towards explaining why this drive was faster than the rest in our performance tests. The performance is also helped by the average seek time of the drive, which Seagate quotes as being 8.2ms.

In common with most desktop drives aimed at the entry- to mid-level market, this Barracuda is equipped with an Ultra ATA/66 EIDE interface (compatible with Ultra ATA/33), rather than the newer and faster Ultra ATA/100 version. This is not likely to affect performance dramatically, though, as it's only really the very fast drives on the market that can properly benefit from the higher interface speeds.

Helping the performance in this respect is the 2MB data buffer, which is four times higher than that used by most competitors. Seagate's other claim to fame for this drive is that it has the highest non-operating shock tolerance in its class; 300Gs. This is not exceptionally relevant, though, as operating shock is usually more likely to damage a drive and the data it contains.

The drive comes with a three year warranty, and is also physically protected by a plastic panel over the drive's IC board. This should help to eliminate static damage and other problems associated with improper handling and installation routines.